It's a new year and time for a new set of resolutions. Pope Francis has put out his list for us to think about this year. Here is the list - and some thoughts of my own to go along with them. Ponder, pray, and see what God is calling for you to do to be the face of Jesus to the world!
1. Don't Gossip.
Is it true? Is it your story to share? Is it necessary to share? Are you the one who should be sharing it? Why are you sharing it? Is it to make yourself look better? To make someone else look bad? Will you feel bad after sharing it? Remember, once it's been said you can't unsay it!
2.Finish your meals.
But I get soooo full at my meals! Am I supposed to eat all and get sick or fat? ... Learn from this time and take smaller portions! Use a smaller plate to help you portion down! What you don't waste can be used as leftovers and will keep you from purchasing other things which could be used to feed the poor in your community!
3. Make time for others.
Involve them in a conversation and especially take the time to LISTEN from your heart!
4. Choose the more humble purchase.
Instead of the $150 pair of shoes choose the $50 pair. Instead of the $50,000 auto, buy the $30,000 one with better gas mileage. Better yet, purchase 2nd hanad! Use up what you have. Take a portion of the money you've saved and donate it to a charity that helps the poor or homeless or infirm or imprisoned or unborn. Free yourself from the name brand mania! And remember: our consumer society is what keeps families and children around the world enslaved in factories which pay them pennies a day or less.
5. Meet the poor 'in the flesh.'
Help with a community dinner. Stop and speak to the homeless person on the street. Invite that person to a McDonald's meal. Ask that person his/her name. and PRAY for him/her.
6. Stop judging others.
Although we are called to judge right from wrong, we are not to be judgmental of another person. We are not to make ourselves the judge, jury, and executioner towards others. Pray for the person you want to condemn, Until you've walked a mile in their shoes you won't know the underlying hurts which lead them to what they are doing.
7. Befriend those who disagree.
You don't have to attend every disagreement to which you are invited. After all, it takes two to argue. Agree to disagree and shut your mouth! You may find out that that disagreeable person is someone who has a need to be heard - and after being heard just might become a great friend.
8. Make commitments, such as marriage.
So many are afraid to commit in case they change their mind . . . or for many other reasons. Marriage committed to after a prayerful discussion with God and with a heart towards loving your spouse like Jesus loves the Church is a blessing with unlimited rewards. However, this resolution is not just about marriage, but about making other commitments too. One example is for volunteering in the Church, Take on a position. Commit for a season. God has many blessings waiting to bestow on you. After that season re-evaluate and if the volunteer position you took on isn't for you, leave that one and take on something else! It's all about the journey. Make it a well lived one.
9. Make it a habit to 'ask the Lord.'
Ask the Lord about the big things and the little things. Speak to Him about all your worries and cares. Speak to Him about your joys and successes. He wants to be your #1 friend. He's already your #1 fan waiting to be asked into your life. Build a relationship with Him this year.
10. Be happy.
Work the other 9 and you'll be surprised to discover than #10 is the outcome!
Friday, January 29, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
If God is so loving and forgiving and all that, why didn't He just forgive Adam & Eve? - John
Dear John,
Simply: "It would not be right or fair for God to just forgive everyone. There is a penalty that must be paid for doing wrong. The penalty for sinning against God is death, eternal death. But God loved us so much that he sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our penalty. Jesus did this by dying on the cross, in our place." Question 41 from 'Over 200 Questions Children ask about God and the Bible' (c) 1997 Tyndale Publishing
To put it a little more intricately, allow me to say that you are not the only person who has ever asked that question! St. Anselm, a saint from the 11th century, asked the same thing. In his pondering he realized a couple of things ...
1. If God is the all perfect, all just, transcendent, One whom we are to honor in every way, then humanity - who demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, that we are not perfect - must make an atonement to Him, the all perfect, all powerful, all just, transcendent God if they are to ever be able to approach Him.
2. If God is all just, then God cannot allow for a wrong to go by unpunished. Not punishing a wrong would be unjust.
3. Only a human can atone for humanities' sins. ie: a dog can't atone for humanity's sin because a dog isn't a human. A cow can't atone for it. An angel can't either - because an angel isn't human either. Only a human can represent a human. Think about that like this: An American can only be represented by an American, not a Chinese person, not an Egyptian, not a Russian. Same goes with being human.
4. However, a human can never reach the perfection required by God because humans aren't God. They are not on the same level as God. So, whoever makes the atonement also has to be able to deal with God as an equal. We don't have anyone who meets that requirement.
5. Hence, God, in His great LOVE, made a way for us to be able to be forgiven. In His all knowing ways, He prepared for the very happening of sin and planned on becoming human so He could atone. - and that's where Jesus fits in!
6. Jesus meets all the requirements. Jesus is totally human - and so can represent us in front of God. Jesus is also totally God - and so can approach God as an equal.
And all of that lets us realize that although God didn't "just forgive everybody," But, He made it so that we could all be forgiven ... we just have to ask for the gift of forgiveness that Jesus made possible for us to receive.
Doesn't that make God even greater than you thought!
Simply: "It would not be right or fair for God to just forgive everyone. There is a penalty that must be paid for doing wrong. The penalty for sinning against God is death, eternal death. But God loved us so much that he sent Jesus, His only Son, to pay our penalty. Jesus did this by dying on the cross, in our place." Question 41 from 'Over 200 Questions Children ask about God and the Bible' (c) 1997 Tyndale Publishing
To put it a little more intricately, allow me to say that you are not the only person who has ever asked that question! St. Anselm, a saint from the 11th century, asked the same thing. In his pondering he realized a couple of things ...
1. If God is the all perfect, all just, transcendent, One whom we are to honor in every way, then humanity - who demonstrated, and continues to demonstrate, that we are not perfect - must make an atonement to Him, the all perfect, all powerful, all just, transcendent God if they are to ever be able to approach Him.
2. If God is all just, then God cannot allow for a wrong to go by unpunished. Not punishing a wrong would be unjust.
3. Only a human can atone for humanities' sins. ie: a dog can't atone for humanity's sin because a dog isn't a human. A cow can't atone for it. An angel can't either - because an angel isn't human either. Only a human can represent a human. Think about that like this: An American can only be represented by an American, not a Chinese person, not an Egyptian, not a Russian. Same goes with being human.
4. However, a human can never reach the perfection required by God because humans aren't God. They are not on the same level as God. So, whoever makes the atonement also has to be able to deal with God as an equal. We don't have anyone who meets that requirement.
5. Hence, God, in His great LOVE, made a way for us to be able to be forgiven. In His all knowing ways, He prepared for the very happening of sin and planned on becoming human so He could atone. - and that's where Jesus fits in!
6. Jesus meets all the requirements. Jesus is totally human - and so can represent us in front of God. Jesus is also totally God - and so can approach God as an equal.
And all of that lets us realize that although God didn't "just forgive everybody," But, He made it so that we could all be forgiven ... we just have to ask for the gift of forgiveness that Jesus made possible for us to receive.
Doesn't that make God even greater than you thought!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016
When I have a problem, does it really matter if I pray? I mean, God already knows what's going to happen, so why should I pray if He already has the results of a problem in His sight? - Julie
Before trying to answer that, let's look at what prayer is. "Prayer is communion with God. Prayer is communication within relationship. From a Biblical standpoint, change isn't what prayer is all about. it is more about love and relationship with God."
So, the answer to your question is YES, it matters that you pray. God wants to be in communion - that is in relationship - with you. Just like you share your concerns with a best friend, that's what God wants from you. Will the end result change? I don't know. But, I do know that when I am in communion with God, He blesses me with a peace and acceptance and trust in His higher purpose. That helps me to stay more calm, to worry less, and to at least go through the troubling time in a much more joyful, less anxious attitude. And that is always an answer to prayer!
So, the answer to your question is YES, it matters that you pray. God wants to be in communion - that is in relationship - with you. Just like you share your concerns with a best friend, that's what God wants from you. Will the end result change? I don't know. But, I do know that when I am in communion with God, He blesses me with a peace and acceptance and trust in His higher purpose. That helps me to stay more calm, to worry less, and to at least go through the troubling time in a much more joyful, less anxious attitude. And that is always an answer to prayer!
Friday, January 8, 2016
How can I keep my focus when I'm praying?
Yes, it IS sometimes hard to focus when we pray. Certainly Satan tries to divert our attention and get us thinking of things other than God. A glare in our eyes, a blaring horn, a crying baby, the telephone, even sleepiness can cause us to lose our train of thought when we are praying. However, we should just shake the thoughts out and look again towards God. We don't want to beat ourselves up about it, just catch ourselves at the wandering thoughts and pull ourselves back into the prayer. We are only called to do the best we can. As we do this over and over again, we will discover that we do better and better keeping our focus. It's really a training of ourselves.
There is a wonderful image which St. Faustina described in her Diary which helps me sometimes: She prayed that she could be like a flower that follows the sun. What is she talking about?
I think of the fields of sunflowers when I lived in Kansas. All the heads would face towards the sun. As the sun moved across the sky, the heads too would move their positions so that they were literally following it. It was a really incredible phenomenon. Those heads continually 'looked towards the sun.'
So as I ponder St. Faustina's image, I realize that she has given me a pattern I should strive to mimic when I pray: That is "Follow the 'Son.' " As long as I am looking towards the Son, my prayers will become more focused. I just need to keep on practicing it ... pray and focus, pray and re-focus. Pray, pray, pray.
There is a wonderful image which St. Faustina described in her Diary which helps me sometimes: She prayed that she could be like a flower that follows the sun. What is she talking about?
I think of the fields of sunflowers when I lived in Kansas. All the heads would face towards the sun. As the sun moved across the sky, the heads too would move their positions so that they were literally following it. It was a really incredible phenomenon. Those heads continually 'looked towards the sun.'
So as I ponder St. Faustina's image, I realize that she has given me a pattern I should strive to mimic when I pray: That is "Follow the 'Son.' " As long as I am looking towards the Son, my prayers will become more focused. I just need to keep on practicing it ... pray and focus, pray and re-focus. Pray, pray, pray.
I got into a mess at school last week. I thought I had a guardian angel that was supposed to keep me from falling into troubles. -Jake
Oh, Jake!
The answer to your question has a number of layers. First, you are correct, you do have a guardian angel assigned to you by God. The angel's job is to care for you in a way that does not interfere with your free will. The angel is to guard you on your path and guide you, lead you, and protect you, but only in regards as to how you allow your angel to do those things for/with you. Your angel will lead you to the place God has prepared for you if you permit it!
In the book of Exodus, God speaks to Moses during the delivery of the 10 Commandments. God says, "I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him." Ex 23:20-21
So you can see that the protection the angel provides is not one of being your conscience, but one that guides and protects and influences you according to the way we obey God's commands and that guidance the angel extends to you. You have the choice to listen and obey those nudges of your angel, or you can leave your angel alone.
In the New Testament, Jesus reminds the apostles that we have angels watching over us. When there are children in his presence he says, "See that you never despise on of these little ones. I assure you, their angels in heaven constantly behold my heavenly Father's face." (Matt 18:10)
So, YES, you do have a guardian angel.
That being made clear, all me to speak to another layer of this question. That of FREE WILL. FREE WILL is that special gift from God which allows us to choose God and God's ways or to ignore God's desire for us. Free will is not the ability to do whatever we want. We just can't. For example, I can't go 80 miles an hour in a school zone without getting into trouble. Someone can't kill another person and not receive a penalty. Free will is the gift of being allowed to choose God's ways or not. God doesn't want a bunch of robots in heaven. God wants people who have chosen to love Him by their own choosing.
The third layer is one of taking responsibility for one's actions. That is a very hard thing for many people. When I do something wrong, or bad, or when I hurt someone's feelings, I have to take the brunt of that. I have to be mature and make amends for that wrong. It is nobody else's fault that I choose to do something that is wrong. For example: If I don't like the kid in front of me in line at school and I decide to give him a little push and it ends up that he is so caught off guard that he falls into the water fountain and breaks his tooth and gets a big black eye, I can't say, "Oh, it was an accident. I didn't mean to do it." The real story is that I meant to push him. That was something bad. I didn't mean for him to get hurt, but he wouldn't have gotten hurt if I wasn't doing something I wasn't supposed to do in the first place. The whole mess is my fault. I then have to suffer the consequences. And ... I have nobody to blame but me.
That's called taking responsibility. It's something that separates being a mature person from an immature one. It's also a problem we've had since Adam and Eve - remember Adam blamed Eve for eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Then Eve blamed the serpent. ... Human nature from the beginning.
But, we can learn from others and be aware and learn to make better decisions. That will allow us to grow into the person God desires us to be. It's not easy, but it will definitely be worth it when we get to God and He says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"
Good luck, Jake!!
The answer to your question has a number of layers. First, you are correct, you do have a guardian angel assigned to you by God. The angel's job is to care for you in a way that does not interfere with your free will. The angel is to guard you on your path and guide you, lead you, and protect you, but only in regards as to how you allow your angel to do those things for/with you. Your angel will lead you to the place God has prepared for you if you permit it!
In the book of Exodus, God speaks to Moses during the delivery of the 10 Commandments. God says, "I am sending an angel before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared. Be attentive to him and heed his voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority resides in him." Ex 23:20-21
So you can see that the protection the angel provides is not one of being your conscience, but one that guides and protects and influences you according to the way we obey God's commands and that guidance the angel extends to you. You have the choice to listen and obey those nudges of your angel, or you can leave your angel alone.
In the New Testament, Jesus reminds the apostles that we have angels watching over us. When there are children in his presence he says, "See that you never despise on of these little ones. I assure you, their angels in heaven constantly behold my heavenly Father's face." (Matt 18:10)
So, YES, you do have a guardian angel.
That being made clear, all me to speak to another layer of this question. That of FREE WILL. FREE WILL is that special gift from God which allows us to choose God and God's ways or to ignore God's desire for us. Free will is not the ability to do whatever we want. We just can't. For example, I can't go 80 miles an hour in a school zone without getting into trouble. Someone can't kill another person and not receive a penalty. Free will is the gift of being allowed to choose God's ways or not. God doesn't want a bunch of robots in heaven. God wants people who have chosen to love Him by their own choosing.
The third layer is one of taking responsibility for one's actions. That is a very hard thing for many people. When I do something wrong, or bad, or when I hurt someone's feelings, I have to take the brunt of that. I have to be mature and make amends for that wrong. It is nobody else's fault that I choose to do something that is wrong. For example: If I don't like the kid in front of me in line at school and I decide to give him a little push and it ends up that he is so caught off guard that he falls into the water fountain and breaks his tooth and gets a big black eye, I can't say, "Oh, it was an accident. I didn't mean to do it." The real story is that I meant to push him. That was something bad. I didn't mean for him to get hurt, but he wouldn't have gotten hurt if I wasn't doing something I wasn't supposed to do in the first place. The whole mess is my fault. I then have to suffer the consequences. And ... I have nobody to blame but me.
That's called taking responsibility. It's something that separates being a mature person from an immature one. It's also a problem we've had since Adam and Eve - remember Adam blamed Eve for eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. Then Eve blamed the serpent. ... Human nature from the beginning.
But, we can learn from others and be aware and learn to make better decisions. That will allow us to grow into the person God desires us to be. It's not easy, but it will definitely be worth it when we get to God and He says, "Well done, my good and faithful servant!"
Good luck, Jake!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)